This study is conducted within a Swedish national project founded by the government. The government’s ambition is to enhance the role of research in the daily work conducted by teachers and school leaders by making research more directly applicable in practice. This to ensure that all students and children receive an education that is of equal value and consistent with current legislation and curricula. This national project is mainly carried out by stimulating the development of collaborations between universities and schools and it is carried out under the acronym ULF  [Development, Learning, Research]. The aim of the study reported in this session is to explore what happened in a specific collaboration between myself and a colleague as researchers, and school leaders from two schools in Sweden. The theory of practice architectures is used for framing the study, and action research as a methodological approach for designing our collaboration. The results are reported in form of two cases in which we describe and compare what happened in the collaboration in the two schools.The results stress some critical aspects to take into consideration when establishing a collaboration between researchers and school leaders. The first aspect concerns aiming for co-ownership and an equivalent collaboration. Co-ownership and an equivalent collaboration involve trustful and respectful relations, empowering individuals in their professional roles. The second aspect is linked to attention to local infrastructures and the importance of organisational settings that facilitate a holistic approach and a shared understanding of the aims of both the research and the collaboration. The third and final aspect is related to school leaders’ legitimacy to organise research-based school improvements. School leaders are responsible for educational quality in schools. This makes them best suited for leading school improvements. Theoretical frameworks and methods introduced by researchers can support the ambition to enhance the scientific foundation of school practices.As implication for further research in this area, there is a need for more empirical studies to explore and reveal how to enhance the development of shared practices inhabited by both school practitioners and school researchers. There is a need to further explore how to nurture  these kind of professional practices that endorse close and equal collaborations, shared responsibility and co-ownership based on the ambition to ensure an (or transform) education that is equal and accessible for all students and children.